Influence of Mobile Phone Usage on Journalism Practices in Rwanda

Mobile phone presents significant technical innovation to the news industry as it can be a powerful reporting tool. Journalists that are aware of it can use their mobile phones for reporting, shooting videos and photos, recording audio clips, processing contents and disseminate it. However, it is not yet clear to what extent the mobile phone is affecting journalism practices in Rwanda, where media organizations have not yet enough equipment while the mobile phone can be a substitute. This survey study intends to assess the place of mobile phone in news production. The study dealt with journalists operating in Rwanda that are members of Rwanda Association of Journalists of which 235 respondents were randomly selected. The findings have revealed that participants to the study are aware and have a very positive perception of the role that the mobile phone may play to streamline journalists tasks. Nonetheless, the integration of the gadget in journalistic tasks is still low. Poor quality of content generated with mobile phones, lack of basic skills in this field that is still in its childhood, the mindset of editors and reporters are the major obstacles that hinder significant usage of the mobile phone by journalists in Rwanda.